A number of commercially available picture frames and frame sections are formed from extruded metal such as aluminum. These picture frames often are available in unassembled kit form. The most common technique for assembling the picture frame sections into the complete frame includes the provision of channels on the rear surface of each of the frame sections, with the channels of adjacent sections in the corners of the frame meeting in L-shaped configuration. Typically, the adjacent ends of the frame sections are assembled to form a corner of the frame, by placing an L-shaped bracket at each corner of the frame so that each leg of the bracket extends into the channel of one of the adjacent frame sections. Each of the bracket legs is secured to its associated framing section by suitable locking means, usually a screw which is threaded through the leg of the bracket and which is urged firmly against the rearwardly facing inner surface of the channel formed on the rear surface of each framing member. An example of such a frame is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,617.
While the above described framing system has been used extensively, it does have certain limitations. For example, because of the rearwardly opening channel sections, a display piece can be inserted only into an unassembled frame. Thus, each display piece substitution entails time consuming diassembly and reassembly of a particular frame. In addition, the individual frame sections with rearwardly opening channels are relatively massive and therefore require high material costs. These problems have been alleviated by rear loading frames composed of frame sections with inwardly opening channels. However, the above described types of corner securing systems are not applicable to the rear loading frames which have utilized more complicated, less effective or less versatile corner attachment mechanisms. For example, some rear loading frames are assembled by deforming corner brackets into engagement with frame members that are held in fixtures. Such a framing system is limited to relative large scale assembly operations and does not permit disassembly of individual frames.
The object of this invention, therefore, is to provide an improved, aesthetically desirable display frame that can be display loaded after assembly and is suitable for small scale assembly operations.